Top 5 Dragon Ball Super Tournament of Power Defeats Worth Savoring

Even if you haven’t seen a single moment of Dragon Ball Super (what are you waiting for?!), it should come as no surprise that it’s absolutely full of earth-quaking battles. The power levels of these fights blew past their limit about 100 episodes ago, so it’s safe to say the currently-running Tournament of Power arc is completely off the scales. With the series barreling toward its conclusion, now is the perfect time to take a look back at some of the most bombastic defeats that have rocked the DBS world since the pint-sized Zen-oh-sama duo decreed it into action.

If you’re not completely caught up, there are going to be a few spoilers here. Still, it’s worth shedding some light on the Tournament of Power for those who are just joining us. To break it down quickly, this unique battle royal pits the strongest fighters from 8 of the 12 known Universes against one another for all the marbles. Seriously, the last Universe standing is the only Universe that won’t be erased out of existence. Each Universe team is comprised of 10 combatants of their choosing, which adds up to 80 beefed-up bruisers duking it out for roughly 48 Earth minutes.

This is Dragon Ball we’re talking about, though, so it takes over 30 episodes to cover what is ostensibly a 48-minute Pay-Per-View match. With a slow-mo laser focus on the action and the highest stakes ever for Akira Toriyama’s series, there’s plenty of room for twists, turns, and the kind of explosive comebacks only Goku and friends could hope to muster. While we wait to see if our favorite Saiyan can save our own Universe from erasure, here are a few of the most electrifying eliminations of the event.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a soft spot for enemies who become larger than life. Brianne de Chateau of Universe 2 does that in more ways than one during the Tournament of Power. Not only does her magical girl-style transformation change her from your average alien to a curvaceous champion of love, she really goes all-out during her last ditch effort against Android 18 and co.

While she spent most of the Tournament literally bouncing around the arena and firing off love beams, her final attack turns her into a straight-up colossus worthy of the most intense piece of kaiju cinema.

This episode happened fairly recently, so I don’t want to get into too many details here. Let’s just say Android 17’s arc came full circle, as the typically cold character went and did something very un-Android-like to close out his stint in the tourney.

Universe 6’s Hit is one of the best characters to come out of Dragon Ball Super. He’s immensely powerful, and he proved to be a formidable foe for Goku the moment he was introduced. So, what was so great about his utter defeat at the hands of Jiren? The fact that he was taken out so handily served as one of the early hints at just how powerful the “final boss” of the Tournament would turn out to be. Jiren essentially showed Hit that his expert manipulation of time wasn’t something worthy of his attention and figuratively flicked him like a flea.

Speaking of sheer power levels, the combined might of Saiyan warriors Caulifla and Kale—known in Fusion form as Kefla—was one of the few challenges worthy of taking on Goku’s as-yet-imperfect Ultra Instinct mode. Despite one hell of an effort, they left just enough of an opening in the end to allow for one of Goku’s most absurdly overpowered kamehameha blasts of all time. They may have been eliminated in the end, but we salute them for giving Goku yet another excuse to go all out.

Alright, let’s face it; I have a problem. This entry—which concerns the combined powers of Koitsukai, Panchia, Bollarator, AND the amazingly-named Dr. Paparoni—is another GIANT-SIZED showdown. It’s like Ribrianne combined with Android-Fusion powers, which means it was tailor-made for yours truly. Nevertheless, these Universe 3 combatants joined forces to become Anilaza in episode 120, “The Perfect Survival Tactic! Universe 3’s Menacing Assassin!!”

If you’re wondering what makes this one special outside of just being another giant boss fight, it’s the team effort it takes to suppress Anilaza’s power. Just like all those times Goku has called upon others for their energy, this frenzied finale has Goku blasting away alongside Vegeta, Gohan, Android 17, and Frieza. One of Anilaza’s attacks is also a sly nod to Janemba’s portal-punching power from the Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn movie, so it has that going for it, too!

Honorable Mention: Master Roshi

Master Roshi kind of ran out of steam during the end of his run in the Tournament of Power, and understandably so. He once again unleashed his most notorious attack, the Evil Containment Wave, along with plenty of other throwback nods to Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball saga. Master Roshi’s contributions to the tournament were so classic DB I even wrote a full article about them on Crunchyroll, so clearly he deserves some props!

The End is Nigh

At this point there’s just one episode to go in the Tournament of Power and the current Dragon Ball Super anime as a whole. It’s been a wild ride, but there’s still a movie on the way this December! Hopefully Goku and the rest of the gang will be back on TV at some point in the future to try and make these unforgettable defeats look absolutely pathetic in the shadow of the battles to come.